The Bangladesh Hockey Federation signed a deal worth Tk 2 crore with the First Security Islami Bank to organise the National School Hockey Championship next year.
After the national hockey team enjoyed some international success at the beginning of the year, the sport has received a lot of attention from the sponsors. Earlier, the BHF had secured a Tk 90.44 lakh deal with Janata Bank Ltd to sponsor the national coach.
Following that deal, First Security Islami Bank came forward to sponsor the nationwide school hockey tournament, which is scheduled to start in February 2014. ATN Bangla has been chosen as the media partner.
The tournament will use 10 venues in seven divisions, with 120 schools expected to take part. First Security Islami Bank will provide 50 percent of the promised funds within one month, as per the contract, and will provide the rest one week before the tournament starts.
‘Like football and cricket, we will have to make the game of hockey popular at grassroots level. The Bangladesh Hockey Federation has already taken initiatives to make it popular and we have just responded to the proposal from the federation as a partner in hockey development,’ said AAM Jakaria, managing director of First Security Islami Bank Limited at a press conference at the Bangladesh Olympic Association Auditorium on Wednesday.
ATN Bangla chairman Mahfuzur Rahman, also the chairman of the school hockey committee, said that they intended to provide a lot of coverage of the tournament from each venue.
-With New Age input
